by Breda McNamara
On 16th October 2011 the Sisters of Mercy donated their property which comprised of two buildings, the former convent of mercy residential building and the former convent primary school in the centre of the village of Tulla to Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. The convent primary school had been closed since 1998 and was in a derelict state with trees and shrubs growing inside the building, broken windows, and doors and generally in a poor state of repair. The former convent of mercy building had been vacant since 2002 and was also in a derelict state. The buildings were situated on ¾ of an acre site which included the former school playground and the orchard.
The journey to develop these buildings into a Comhaltas Cultural Centre began by setting up a development committee who would commit to the project for ten years to see this dream become a reality.
The search for funding began in 2012 with the emphasis being on restoring the convent building first and developing the Cnoc na Gaoithe Comhaltas Cultural Centre. There is no doubt but this project has been blessed with good fortune and this is in no small part due to the desire by the Sisters of Mercy to see their buildings future proofed and brought back into use for the local community to continue in their ethos of education and social inclusion. The prayers of the Sisters cannot be underestimated in the securing of funding for this massive project.
The first donation of funding from a philanthropic organisation came by complete accident when board members of the Jackson Foundation U.K., walked by the site which was boarded up with galvanise and wooden fences, while two art students were painting the hoarding to improve the appearance of these derelict buildings in advance of the Tidy Towns adjudication in 2012. The board members asked the students who were painting flowers what was going on in the building, this was followed by communication between the Jackson Foundation and Cnoc na Gaoithe and a donation of £30,000 being made completely unsolicited to aid with this project. With this donation along with fundraising of €20,000 we were able to approach CLDC for LEADER funding now that we had the matching funding in place. With a grant of €150,000 from LEADER the convent building was re-roofed, windows and doors were upgraded and one small section of the cultural centre was opened at the end of 2012. A further grant of £25,000 was forthcoming from the Jackson Foundation for the development of the first-floor accommodation.
In 2015, with a grant of €50,00 from LEADER and our own funding which was fundraised in the U.S on two visits, which resulted in donations of $100,000 via the Ireland Funds, we completed work in the ground floor of the convent building which hosted an archive room and museum of local artefacts and two teaching rooms.
In 2017 with great co-operation and support from Clare Co. Council, Cnoc na Gaoithe secured funding of €100,000 under the Town & Village Renewal Scheme to complete work on the first floor of the former convent, providing en-suite accommodation with a community sitting room /T.V. room. The matching funding of €50,000 was provided by the J.P. McManus Benevolent Fund.
In 2018, again in partnership with Clare Co. Council, and with matching funding provided by the TOMAR TRUST a grant of €200,000 was secured from the Department of Arts Culture & Gaeltacht to build a tea-room extension at Cnoc na Gaoithe. The engagement with the TOMAR TRUST also came about in a most un-expected manner, they went on to become our greatest financial supporter when matching funding was required. This Town & Village Grant with TOMAR support completed the development of the former convent building into a cultural centre which now housed an archive room, museum of local artefacts, a photographic and audio archive of the music of the locality, a small performance room and teaching rooms with accommodation on the first floor and a tea-room extension at the rear.
In 2019 we decided to undertake the development of a multi-purpose auditorium in the former Convent Girls Primary School. While the former convent building was an ideal building for music, song and Irish language classes it was not big enough for a lot of the activities which were growing in Cnoc na Gaoithe. In partnership with Clare Co. Council, we were successful in being granted €900,000 under the Rural Regeneration Development Fund from the Department of Rural & Community Affairs. Once again, the matching funding of €300,000 came from the TOMAR TRUST without whom we could not have applied for this large grant.
Work started on this huge project in 2020 with a one-year time frame to complete the work. The ten-year target to complete work on this project was not achievable due to external issues outside of our control including BREXIT, COVID and the war in Ukraine. The site was closed for six months due to COVID and delays were incurred due to shortage in building supplies following BREXIT and the war in Ukraine.
Despite these setbacks the new 200-seater auditorium, with a dance floor, stage, green room and back stage facilities, floor and balcony seating and bar facilities was officially opened by Minister Heather Humphreys, TD on 1st October 2022. There was a huge attendance at the event which was led by our own St. Patrick’s Pipe Band as well as our Cnoc na Gaoithe musicians. The Sisters of Mercy and former teachers from the primary school attended the event along with local representatives and a huge turnout of local people. The ten-year plan was executed in 11 years and the former convent and primary school have been developed into a vibrant cultural hub which has a multi-purpose performance auditorium, teaching rooms, accommodation, an archive room and museum in the centre of the village. It has transformed the centre of the village of Tulla providing much needed facilities for the local community.
The Cnoc na Gaoithe Céilí Band, All- Ireland Champions 2019, played the opening céilí on the weekend and Cherish The Ladies raised the roof with a fantastic concert on the opening night. We have had a few concerts since and are delighted that Robbie’s First Friday singing session which was started by the legendary Robbie McMahon in Duggan’s Bar in Spancilhill 21 years ago has now established residency in Cnoc na Gaoithe on the first Friday of every month.
Classes in traditional music and dance and Irish language take place on a weekly basis in both buildings in the complex. The centre is widely used by the community for events and meetings. The auditorium is occupied 5 evening each week with dancing classes, Yoga, Pilates, singing and music sessions. We hold regular concerts and sessions and make the venue available to community groups for use.
After eleven years of hard work, always looking for funding and support the work is finally completed. The vision has become a reality and Cnoc na Gaoithe is now the jewel in the crown in the centre of the village of Tulla.
